"Pitchfork: So you'd say this album is a more austere affair than the last one?

AM: It is. It's more full of ghosts and doubts and signs and wonders than any other Clientele record. It's very spooky and tremendously sad at times. It's about watching yourself disappear.

Pitchfork: Were there any incidents that occurred in your life that caused you to reflect in that way?

AM: Last summer, there was an incident involving an accidental ingestion of LSD in Spain. It's the most cliché thing, but it did have an effect on me. It gave me new ways of thinking about music and songwriting. It was like a slap across the face of my psyche.

Pitchfork: What's the story behind this LSD trip?

AM: [laughs] It's not something I would like to glamorize. It's dangerous stuff.

Pitchfork: Right, but you said it was accidental...

AM: It was accidental on my part, but not on the part of the person who put it in my drink.

Pitchfork: I see. Are we talking about some sort of mortal enemy of yours?

AM: No, just somebody who never quite left the 60s and wanted to open my mind. I've never taken LSD before...by accident. When I was growing up it was easier to get a hold of acid than it was to actually buy beer in the little town I lived in outside of London. But it wasn't something I ever wanted to get into the habit of taking."